Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced plans for a national drone armada that will draw on Ukrainian battlefield expertise. The statement came on April 27, 2026, during the Road to URC – Security and Defence conference in Rzeszów, ahead of the Ukraine Recovery Conference.
Tusk stated that the project would leverage Ukraine’s technical expertise in drone tactics, supply logistics, personnel training, control systems, data exchange protocols, and production line modernization, with Ukrainian specialists assisting at Polish sites. Both Polish and European funds will support the initiative, though specifics on budget, timeline, participating companies, and production targets remain undisclosed.
The effort builds on prior Polish-Ukrainian agreements, including a September cooperation pact on drone warfare and a letter of intent signed earlier in 2026 with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on joint defense production. Poland also joined the LEAP program in February 2026 with France, Germany, Italy, and the UK to invest in low-cost drone strike and counter-drone systems based on Ukrainian know-how.
Related developments include a January agreement with a Polish-Norwegian consortium for the SAN anti-drone system, funded partly by EU SAFE loans, and a March PGZ deal with Estonia’s Frankenburg Technologies to produce up to 10,000 Mark 1 anti-drone missiles annually in Poland, with combat trials planned in Ukraine from April to June 2026.
Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk noted on April 28 that Poland intends to conduct live battlefield trials of its new weapons and drones on Ukraine’s front lines after initial training ground tests, viewing Ukraine as a unique testing ground. Tusk emphasized that the armada aims to enhance regional security against air attacks, mirroring Ukraine’s Army of Drones program.